


All This Bad Blood Here, Won't You Let It Dry?

by FiliTheLionKing (IAmYourWatson)



Series: The God of Poetry and the God of Death [5]
Category: Being Human (UK), The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Anders love Mitchell and Mitchell loves Anders, Anger, Disapproving Family, Dysfunctional Family, Everyone else is quiet but is still a bit of a jerk, Family Drama, Family Issues, M/M, Mike is the jerk this time, Mitchell is Donn the Celtic Lord of the Dead, Pent-Up Frustration, Ty is a Hero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-19
Updated: 2014-03-19
Packaged: 2018-01-16 07:17:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1336813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmYourWatson/pseuds/FiliTheLionKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by this prompt: "legolaslover1 said: For Britchell: gods!verse where Anders and Mitchell have to confront the Johnsons about their relationship and Mitchell’s powers"</p><p>It's been a few days since the incident at Mike's bar with the god hunters, and while Anders and Mitchell have put it behind them, it seems the other gods and goddesses have not. A Thing is called, and Mitchell is invited too, raising some eyebrows in the Mitchell/Johnson household. Hopefully, it's just to talk about the incident and how they can protect themselves against future attacks. That has to be it, right?</p><p>Knowing the Johnson family, things are never that easy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	All This Bad Blood Here, Won't You Let It Dry?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MoonQueen17640](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonQueen17640/gifts).



> I've started taking prompts again over at my tumblr, bewarethelionsden.tumblr.com. Drop me a reply on my post about it, or you can send me a note in my askbox. Let me know if there's something you'd like me to write! This one's for legolaslover1, who's a total sweetheart and their work is AMAZING! Go check them out! Until next time, the lioness goes to sleep tonight~!

The incident at Mike’s bar was only about two days old when the call came. Anders had answered his cell phone reluctantly, having seen that it was Mike on the line, but he’d picked it up anyway, knowing that if he didn’t deal with it now that his brother would only grow more and more insistent as his calls went unanswered. Mitchell watched as his lover talked (well, more listened than talked, for once) to his brother, his eyes growing steadily darker as the elder Johnson spoke to the blonde. They’d been laying under the covers, warm and naked in the early morning light, kissing lazily as the sun grew warmer and warmer around them. When the call was done, Anders hung up with no word and sat still for a moment. Then he slammed his phone down onto the bedside table and huffed as he lay down and maneuvered his way back into Mitchell’s arms. The former vampire held him for a moment, letting his lover calm down after speaking to his brother, then asked his questions.

"What did Mike want?" Mitchell asked quietly, pressing a soft kiss to Anders’ hair. The god was warm in his arms, and Mitchell couldn’t stop himself from soothingly stroking up and down Anders’ side. 

"…They’re calling a Thing this afternoon. And what’s more, they want  _you_  there…” Anders sighed, nuzzling closer to his lover’s neck, breathing his scent in to calm himself down. Meeting with his brothers was never a fun thing, and it usually ended in either bloodshed, harsh words, or (more often than not now) Anders being blamed for everything. 

"Me? Why me? I mean, obviously I’ll go, but what could they possibly want me around for? I’m not even in your pantheon!" 

"That could be a good thing. At least Odin can’t command you to do something, and you can make sure I don’t kill someone if they try to make me do their dirty work again." They both knew that this last part was a lie; Anders would do anything for his brothers, even if they never thanked him for it. Sure, Anders could be a total jerk when he wanted to be, it was part of who he was, but he never intentionally hurt his family or the ones he loved, few as they were. 

"Then we’ll go. And I promise I’ll take you home right after and make sweet, slow love to you until you forget all about it, okay?" Mitchell grinned, feeling Anders’ answering smile against his skin. 

"Sounds good to me, Endless…" The blonde grinned, and they settled in to cuddle for the rest of the morning (not that they’d ever call it cuddling if they were asked, they had a set of reputations to upkeep, after all). 

 

* * *

 

The two walked into Mike’s bar, side by side, which was as close to holding hands as they ever got in public. Scattered around the place were the Johnson boys, as well as Ingrid, Michele, Stacey, and Gaia. Instantly, Mitchell was wary, his nerves on edge as he took in the dark mood of the room. Anders was also aware of the strange tension that settled over the others as soon as they’d entered, wondering what could possibly have them all on edge. All traces of the hunters’ attack were gone, everything was straightened up, and even the cases of beer were restocked. It was a little too quiet now, and the two barely held back from fidgeting. 

Mike, always the self-appointed leader, stood behind his bar like it was a podium, his arms crossed before he leaned forwards and rested them on the dark wood. Subtly, Anders moved in front of Mitchell, just a bit. The former vampire rested his hand on the blonde’s lower back, supporting him gently while still letting him be independent. They could speak without words now, always knowing what the other was feeling or thinking if their walls weren’t thrown up as high as they could go. Mike saw this subtle movement, of course he did, he wasn’t Ullr for nothing. He didn’t let his concern cross his eyes, knowing how well Anders could read people. He cleared his throat, and all eyes were on him.

"…Anders…Mitchell, we’re holding this Thing because of what happened the other day. We already knew there were god hunters after us, and for the most part we thought we were prepared to deal with them. But unless we hire bodyguards, I doubt we’re gonna be able to ward them off all the time before something happens."

"…What’s your point, Mike? I don’t have all day…" Anders only really got  _this_  gruff with his brother when he was irritated or nervous. Mitchell could sense that he was the latter this time, and it was worrisome to him; Anders didn’t do nervous.

"…Anders, what is Mitchell to you?" The blunt question caught the god of poetry off-guard, and Mitchell could feel the minute hitch of his breath from where his hand was resting on Anders’ back. They hadn’t really discussed  _what_  they were; it just seemed to be an unspoken thing between them. They were in love, that was for sure, but they hadn’t really talked about an official title yet. This was something that they should be telling the Johnson’s in their own time, not the other way around. 

"I’m in love with him. He’s my boyfriend. And someday, if he’ll have me, I’m gonna fucking marry him." Several eyes went wide, including Mitchell’s, but the former vampire recovered quickly. His look changed to one of fond affection, and he wrapped his arm around Anders’ waist, standing by his side now. 

"The same goes for me. I love him, I’d do anything for him. I’ll protect him with my life." Mitchell’s dark eyes met each and every astonished stare, holding it as he dared them to challenge their love, strange as it was. 

Mike, Olaf, and Axl exchanged worried glances, while Ty just smiled benignly at them. He actually was quite fond of Mitchell, as they shared a love of cupcakes of all things, but he knew that Anders could stand up for himself, and now he had Mitchell to help him out. The goddesses were all chittering away, having thought that Anders was incapable of something as pure as love. Mitchell growled at them, and they all hushed up. 

"Do you have a problem with that?" The former vampire challenged, Anders straightening up even more beside him, a smirk on his face. He loved it when Mitchell got all protective of him. But his smirk faltered a little as he saw the gods and goddesses all stand, save for Ty, who looked a little bit confused. 

"We want you to end this with him, Anders. He’s dangerous. You  _saw_  what he did to those hunters!” Mike said, his voice strong and level. “I never thought I’d see the day I said this, but  _he’s_  not good for  _you_.” The back-handed nature of the comment made Mitchell’s brows furrow, and he felt Anders twitch minutely as the blow struck home. Only family could wound so deep without even meaning to. “As your brothers, we want you to be safe, and he’s  _dangerous_. It was bad enough when he was a fucking  _vampire_ , Anders, but now he can literally drag your soul to hell! He’s not even in our pantheon, or a local one at that. How do we know we can trust him?” 

"We’re just worried for your safety, Anders…" Olaf said quietly. Some of the goddesses nodded, but Mitchell could smell the stink of fear wafting off of all of them, save for Ty, who would be forever in Mitchell’s debt for defending Dawn that fateful night. He stood too, but was glaring at his family. 

"Are we just going to talk about Mitchell like he’s not even there!?" He growled, crossing his arms, the air going cold as Hodr made himself known. Unbeknownst to everyone, Hodr and Donn were actually very good friends, being of similar dispositions, and the god inside of Ty was frustrated that the others of his pantheon were letting this all happen, and even approving of it. Anders nodded gratefully at his younger brother, then glared at the rest of his family and pantheon. 

"For all of my life, Mike, you’ve done nothing but act the exact  _opposite_  of what a big brother is supposed to be like. You  _left_  when we were just kids, Mike, and left me to raise Ty and Axl with no help at all! You then had the absolute  _nerve_  to come back and tell  _me_  what a horrible job  _I_  did of raising them, when i was barely older than them! I was set adrift by this whole fucking ‘family’ of ours, told that I was a nuisance, always the scapegoat, always the sickly little kid everyone could kick around because I didn’t want to kick back. Then when I started fighting back, you all acted like this had come out of nowhere, that I had no reason to be angry with you! So I fucking left you all alone for  _years_ , just like you wanted, and when I come back at a time when we’re supposed to all be family together, you fucking  _use_  me again and again! And I let you, because you’re my fucking family, and families protect each other!” His eyes were glimmering with unshed tears of anger, his face flushed a little, and his knuckles turning white from how hard he was fisting his hands. 

"I get you out of jail, I fucking find the Yggdrasil, I protect you, I  _lie_  for you, and I always answer your damn calls when you need me to come help you. And do I ever get so much as a damn ‘thank you’ out of it? No! And why should I? I’m just your fucking stupid brother, the smallest little Johnson of them all, the only one stupid enough to keep coming back for more even after he’s been kicked around and discarded. You don’t even want me for myself anymore, you just want Bragi! It’s like I don’t even exist anymore, and any time Bragi gets us into trouble, it’s  _my_  fault, and not his! We’re two different people, if you haven’t noticed. Yes, I can be a fucking jerk, I know that, it’s who I am, I can’t always help it. Just like you can’t always help being a bossy prick, Mike, or like Axl can’t help being a damn crybaby because he’s always been so pampered by everyone because he’s the youngest. Like Mum couldn’t help being a damn tree and Father couldn’t help being a fucking loser.” He pointedly left Ty out of this, Ty being the one brother he could always stand.

"And now, now that I have just one thing,  _one thing_  that makes me happy, you want me to get rid of it, because you’re scared for your own damn skins! What about what  _I_  want, Mikkel, huh? What about trusting  _my_  judgement for once!? Do you think I’d really fall in love with someone who’d kill my whole family on a whim? I thought you had just a little more faith in me than that, thank you. Mitchell did some scary shit in the past, he killed people, yeah, but it’s in the damn past. You ran away and  _left_  us, fucking  _children_ , to fend for ourselves when you were old enough to go, Mike, and no one holds it against you like you’re holding this against him. He just fucking saved all your lives, he was protecting  _me_ , something none of you have ever done! I’ve  _always_  protected you, from Mum, from Father, from everything I could, even though I was always the smallest and weakest. So no, you don’t get to fucking pull the  _family_  card and act like this is for my own good. You just care about your fucking selves, you’re letting your gods get the better of you now that their territory’s been ‘infiltrated’ by the enemy. Don’t forget what the Vikings did to the Celts, and the other way around.” Anders growled, his voice going hoarse as his tirade finally slowed down. “I love him, Mike, Olaf, all of you! And nothing, not some command from Odin, no decree from big brother Mike,  ** _nobody_** , will stop me!” 

The room was silent when Anders was finished, years of frustration and anger and loneliness all let out as he finally spoke all that had been on his mind for ages. Mitchell stood tall and proud next to his lover, daring to hold his hand and lace their fingers together in a show of unity. Not only did Anders allow it, but he pressed even closer to Mitchell, until there was literally no space left between them. The gods and goddesses were all shocked, except for Ty, who was looking proud of his older brother. Finally, Mike came back to his senses, looking at Axl, then back to Anders.

"…Odin can still order you, you know. It’s for your own good…"

The room went dark. The ground grew misty with fog. The air went cold. But this time, it wasn’t Donn; it was Hodr. Ty’s eyes shone a bright blue with the intensity of his god powers, and when he spoke, his voice was laced with Hodr’s deep, dark tones.

"You will  _not_  use your Odin powers against him. If you do, you will have to go through me, and you will not like that when it happens, son of Joe.” Ty/Hodr’s voice boomed in the small space of Mike’s bar, and the other Johnson’s and goddesses looked sufficiently cowed. Never in his life had Anders been more proud of his baby brother than now. The blue then faded from Ty’s eyes, and he sat back down in his chair. “Now, if we’re all through being idiots here…” 

Anders grinned at his brother, and MItchell winked, grateful that at least one of the Johnson’s was going to stand up for the blonde. A few moments of tense silence passed, with Mike growling and fuming in frustration, and Axl looking half-terrified, half-indignant, and Olaf looking like he just wanted to get high again. With a wicked smirk, Anders nodded at his family, squeezing Mitchell’s hand gently. 

"Well, if that’s all Mikkel, we’ll be going. Don’t bother calling for at least another month, because A: I doubt I’m going to pick up for you ever again, and B: I’m going to be making love to my boyfriend here for at least half that time. Say hi to Dawn for me, Ty. Ciao!" And with that, he spun on his heel and led a grinning Mitchell out of the bar. No one more, save for Ty, who was drinking his beer, until they heard a car door slam and the sound of tires screeching as a car drove off way too fast to be safe. With a chuckle, Ty finished off his drink and stood. 

"Well, that was fun!" He said in a fair mimicry of Anders’ stance and choice of words. "I’m off to go see  _my_  significant other, and I suggest all of you think about what you’ve done. Ciao!” He laughed as he left, his cell phone out to call Dawn. The rest of the gods and goddesses just stared after the usually quiet Johnson boy, and remained that way for an unknown amount of time. Eventually, they’d shake out of their stupor and babble on about the brand-new developments, trying to figure out what to do. Someday, maybe, they’d figure out just how big a set of jerks they’d been to the blonde god and his ex-vampiric boyfriend, but old habits die hard.

Not that Anders particularly cared at the moment. While all the assorted deities at Mike’s bar tried to figure out where they stood and who this new version of Anders was, Anders was busy lying on his back in the midst of rumpled sheets and soft sunlight. He was far too busy being kissed by the man who’d stolen his heart, the heart that no one knew he’d had, especially himself, to worry about what his family would think. He’d finally found something special in his life, the one person who loved him for who he was, faults and all, and he was going to keep him, even at the cost of the rest of his family. Anders had Ty, the only really sane Johnson left, he thought, and Dawn, and that was enough. More than enough, really.

Because if it was just him and Mitchell against the rest of the world, no family or friends behind them, that would be okay too. It was more than enough.  _Mitchell_  was more than enough. And knowing that the god of the dead felt the same way made the god of poetry’s heart melt. Figuratively, of course. 

With a love like this, he planned to live for a  _very_  long while.

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song "Bad Blood" by Bastille.


End file.
